Roof structure for furnaces



W. COOK, I. BUTLER AND J. GRIFFITHS.

ROOF STRUCTURE FOR FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. 1920.

1355 115, Patented Oct. 5,1920.

' W. 00K, J. 307253,; J- GRIFFHHS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM COOK, J'OHN BUTLER, AND JOHN GRIFFI TI-ls, OF LLANELLY, WALES.

ROOF STRUCTURE FOR FURNACES.

Application filed June 15,

. To all whom it concern Be' it known "that we, WILLIAM Coon, J OHN Bu'rimmand JOHN GRIFFITH-S, subjects of the King of Great Britain, and all residin at Llanelly, in the county of Carmart en, Wales, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roof Structures for Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invent-ion relates to roof structures for furnaces and has for its object to provide a construction wherein portions of the roof can be removed for repair either to that section or to the hearth or any other part of the furnace which becomes accessible by the removalof such section.

Generally speaking the roofs of furnaces are an integral construction with the furnace proper and great difficulty attends the operation of repairing the roof, or air or gas ducts, or the walls se arating them, or the roof of the hearth of t e furnace, as the structure has to be supported during the removal of the worn or burnt part and the furnace is out of use until the new portions have been supplied.

Now according to the present invention we build up a roof from removable sections, each of which comprises a course, or courses, of interlocking bricks, said course, or courses having a predetermined width or camber, and being held'in position by means of an expansible frame, of which each end piece engages the whole end face of the course, or courses, at its respective end, and above the level of the face has a wing member projecting from each side, lying over and against the top face of the said brickwork, the said end pieces being connected by tie rods against resilient pressure.

In order that our invention may be more clearly understood we will now describe one embodiment with reference to, the ccompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a. perspective view illustrating a com le'te sec tion, Fig. 2 is a detail of one end of the frame member, while Fig. 3 is a detail 'of supporting construction as hereinafter referred to. I

Each section of the roof is formed by first building a course or courses 'of interlocking bricks on a former or the like so as to ob-- tain a predetermined camber, while the width of the course is made according to the building in which the roof is to be used. The brickwork 1 is retained in position and Specification of Letters Patent.

the back plate of the said end piece.

1920. {Serial No. 389,235.

its desired camber maintained by means of a frame member which is adapted to hold l atented. Oct. 5, 1920."

the brickwork together and at the same time admit of the expansion that usually occurs when a furnace .is being used. The frame comprises two end pieces 2 and 3, each of which has a surface abutting the whole end face of a course or courses at its respective end of the section. Each end piece-is 'also formed with side wings or projections which lie over and against the top surface of the brickwork.

Referring particularly to the end pieces; from each side of the end piece 2 projects a wing or projection 6 having its lower edge 7 cut so that the wing may lie evenly on the top surface of the brickwork; the end member 3 has similar wings 8 with their under sides cut as shown at 9 to conform with the contour ofthe roof at the position of contact. The end member 3 is further strengthened by a cross piece 10 connecting the wings 8 and spaced a suitable distance away from.

inner extremities of the wing members of each end piece are rabbeted, and such rabbeted portions on the same side of the section are connected by side plate members, as indicated at 4 and 5. In the engaging ends of the side plate members is formed a slot or slots as indicated at 11, and similar registering slots are formed in the rabbeted extremities of the wing members of the end pieces, and the slots in the side plates are preferably beveled in order to receive the beveled head 12 of a bolt member projected through the slots inthe plate member and the cooperating rabbeted portion of an end piece and retained in that position by nuts or the like 13. By so arranging the-means for connecting the side plates 4 and 5 with their respective wing members 6 and 8, ex-

' tension of the brickwork is permitted by- *reason .of the beveled faces of the grooves, as when the roof section is in position the nuts 13 are loosened so that the plate members may slide over the extremities of the wing portions and provide an automatic ad justment of the 'frame respectively to the brickwork of the section as the section exlpands under the influence of the furnace eat. v

Such extension of the frame is opposed by tie rods 14 connectingthe end members 2 and 3. r As show in Fig. 1 the tie rods may be provided wit heads. 15 so as to form an abutting surface against the end piece 2 when projected through the slot 16 in that end piece. The other extremity of each tie rod passes through a slot 19 in the strengthening member 10 of the end piece 3, and a spring 17 of suitable resiliency is disposed on the other side of said strengthening member and against a collar 18 at the respective end of the said tie rod so that any separation of the end piece'2 from the end piece 3 is opposed by the compression of the spring 17 on each of said tie rods. In order to provide clearance for contraction a slot is also formed in the back plate of the end piece 3 to permit movement of the end pieces along the tie rods.

The brickwork of the roof section may be formed by superimposed courses of interlocking bricks, or as before stated, by a single course, and in order that each course may substantially support its own weight the bricks abutting against the end members of the frame interlock therewith at each respective endbyreason of the fact that the adjacent face of the end plate at each extremity is formed with similar interlocking faces within the abutting area, as particularly shown in Fig. 2.

In operation, the roof is first built as before stated with interlocking bricks, and the frame is clamped over the brickwork, the

nuts 13 being tightened in position and the .whole section lifted bodily by hoisting means engaging suitable holes 20 in theside plates and transferred from its place of assemblage to the desired position in the furnace roof. When in position the bolts 12 are loosened by unscrewing their cooperating nuts or the like 13 sufliciently to permit of the sliding of the end members 2 and 3 from the side plates 4: and 5 when expansion commences. Further, when it is desired to remove the roof section it is necessary first to tighten up the nuts or the like 13 on their respective bolts 12 before hoisting away the section and substituting a new section therefor.

In the application of our invention to steel furnaces it has been found to be preferable to support the roof sections, when on level surfaces above arches, by forming the top of the arch in the following mannr:-

The arch is formed by a plurality of rows 21 of interlocking bricks with the addition of a rabbet 22 formed on the lower part of one side, for fltting under a cast iron door .head plate, While the end faces of the arch are formed by skew back bricks 23 in order to form a suitable joint with the wall. courses and also to provide a suitable surface for gripping by the spade shaped claws 24 of the hoisting means. By such construc tion, which is illustrated in Fig. 3, after the roof section is removed the burnt brickwork and other parts constantly needing repair,

and further reduce the strain incurred when bracing the furnace.

e claim: I l

1. In a. furnace, a removable roof section having in combination a course of interlocking bricks of predetermined width and camber, two slotted end pieces, each having a face adapted to interlock with the respective end faces of the course of interlocking bricks, a pair of slotted flanges on each end piece extending lengthwise of saidbrickwork and adapted to lie evenly thereon, a slotted transverse plate toward the end of and connecting the flanges on one end piece, a plate member on each side of the brickwork and overlapping a flange of each end piece, adjustable means for slidably connecting said plate members to their respective flanges, tie bolts passing through the slots on the one end piece and the slots in the transverse plate of the other end piece, anchoring means on the said bolts abutting against the outer face of said end piece, astop abutment at the other extremity of each end piece, a spring member on each tie bolt between each said stop abutment and the slotted transverse plate, and means for supporting said roof section comprising an arch formed by skew back bricks as set forth.

2. In a furnace roof, a removable roof sec tion including a course of interlocking brick, an cxpansible frame including spaced sides to overlie and bear upon said brick course inwardly of the edges thereof, end pieces adjustably connected to the sides and bearing against the ends of the brick course, and resilient means connecting the end pieces with each other and arranged between the sides to pull said end picccs toward each other.

3. In a furnace roof, a brick course, a

frame for interlocking the brick of said.

course together, said frame comprisim side pieces which overlie and bear upon the upper surface of the brick course inwardly of the edges thcrcof, end pieces to bear against the ends of the brick course and having extensions to bear upon the upper surface of the brick course, said extensions being adjustahly connected to the sides, rods connecting the end pieces to cacleother, and tension means for drawing the end pieces toward each other.

4. In a furnace roof, a brick course, a frame for interlocking. the brick of said course together, said frame comprising side pieces which -overlie and bear upon the uppcr surface of the brick course inwardly of the edges thereof, end pieces to bear against the ends of the brick course and having extensions to bear upon the upper surface of .the brick course, said extensions being adjustably connected to the sides, rods connecting the end pieces to each other, and tension means for drawing the end pieces toward each other, the side pieces and extensions of the ends being integrally formed to limit relative movement in one direction.

5. In a furnace roof, a brick course, a frame for interlocking the brick of said course together, said frame comprising side pieces which overlie and bear upon the upper surface of the brick course inwardly of the edges thereof, end pieces to bear against the ends of the brick course and having extensions to bear upon the upper surface of the brick course, said extensions being adjust-ably connected tothe sides, rods connecting the end pieces to each other, and tension means for drawing the end pieces toward each other, one of the end pieces having a housing for said resilient means.

6. In a furnace roof, a removable roof section having in combination a course of interocking bricks of predetermined width and camber, an ekpansible frame formed by two end pieces each having a face adapted to interlock with the respective end faces of the course of interlocking bricks, and side plate members slidably connecting said end pieces, and resilient means tending to pull said end pieces toward each other.

7. In a furnace roof, a removable roof section having in combination a course of interlocking bricks of predetermined width and camber, two end pieces each having a face adapted to interlock with the respective end faces of the course of interlocking bricks, a pair of flanges on each end piece extending lengthwise of Said brickwork and adapted to lie evenly thereon, a plate member on each side of the brickwork and overlapping a flange of each end piece, means slidably connecting said side plates with the flanges of said end pieces, and resilient means tending to pull said end pieces toward each other.

8. In a furnace roof, a removable roof section having in combination a course of interlocking bricks of predetermined width and camber, two slotted end pieces each having a face adapted to interlock with the respective end faces of the course of interlockin bricks, a pair of slotted flanges on each en piece extending lengthwise of said brickwork and adapted to lie evenly thereon, a slotted transverse plate toward the end of, and connecting the flanges on one end piece, a plate member on each side of the brickwor: and overlapping a flange of each end piece, adjustable means for slidably connecting said plate members to their respective flanges, tie bolts passing through the slots on the one end piece and the slots in the transverse plate of the other end piece, anchoring means on said bolts abutting against the outer face of said end piece, a stop abutment at the other extremity of each end piece, anda spring member on each tie bolt between each said stop abutment and the slotted transverse plate.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

WILLIAM COOK.

JOHN BUTLER. JOHN GRIFFITHS. 

